The subject matter of the present specification relates to the art of aircraft windscreens. Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein find particular application in conjunction with airplanes, and they will be described herein with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that various exemplary embodiments such as those disclosed herein are also amenable to other like applications and/or other types of aircrafts or vehicles.
Aircraft windscreens are generally known in the field of aviation. For example, FIG. 1 herein shows an airplane 10 including a typical windscreen 12. Commonly, as shown more clearly in FIG. 2, the windscreen 12 of the airplane 10 is fixed and/or otherwise attached to a fuselage 14 of the airplane 10 with bolts 16 or other fastener that extend through holes 18 formed in the windscreen 12. In such cases, the windscreen 12 may be prone to various modes of failure and/or other undesirable drawbacks or limitations.
For example, the windscreen 12 is commonly constructed of glass or acrylic material, while the fuselage 14 may be constructed of aluminum, other metal or some suitable composite material. Accordingly, the different materials may have differing coefficients of expansion and/or may experience different degrees of expansion and/or contraction under various changing conditions, e.g., resulting from temperature differentials arising due to changes in altitude during aircraft flight.
Commonly, an airplane's cabin may be pressurized for the comfort of passengers. Further expansion and/or contraction of the differing construction materials can result due to changes in the air pressures experienced at varying altitudes, e.g., including the external air pressure, the internal or cabin pressure and/or the relative pressure difference therebetween. The expansion and/or contraction of differing materials may not be the same when exposed to changing environmental conditions.
As can be appreciated, changes in the environment and/or conditions (e.g., experienced due to altitude changes, high speeds, etc. encounter during flight) such as those described above as well as other factors can place significant stress, strain and/or other structural loads on the windscreen 12. An overly rigid attachment of the windscreen 12 to the fuselage 14 can result in a failure of the windscreen 12, e.g., cracking and/or breaking of the windscreen 12 or detachment of the windscreen 12 from the fuselage 14. Generally, such failures are undesirable in and of themselves and can result in other undesirable effects, e.g., such as an unwanted loss of cabin pressure.
In otherwise conventional embodiments where fasteners or the like extend through holes in a windscreen to attach the windscreen to an aircraft fuselage, there can be insufficient play between the windscreen and fuselage to allow for differential expansion and/or contraction of materials which can lead to the buildup of excessive stress, strain and/or other structural loads resulting in the windscreen's failure. Additionally, the holes in the windscreen, which are often formed at or near a periphery of the windscreen, can further reduce the overall and/or localized strength of the windscreen and/or serve as points of potential failure (e.g., cracking or breaking of the windscreen).
Accordingly, a new and/or improved windscreen and/or windscreen attachment system is disclosed herein.